m_kingdom2 returns from Hamburg

Old Jan 1st, 2005, 06:20 AM
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m_kingdom2 returns from Hamburg

A new year, a new trip report.

I'll try to write one as best I can after last night's parties...

Flight from Heathrow is short, Hamburg airport is modern, efficient, and taxi to the Hotel Atlantic was around 20EUR.

HOTEL

It took a minute or so before the doorman came out of the hotel the assist with the baggage. Check-in was quick, efficient, and no upgrade was offered. Corridors in this property were very wide with ceiling heights of around fifteen feet. Wallpaper was peeling in places, but carpet looked relatively new. The room itself wasn't particularly large, had an attractive view of the courtyard. The decor was deco-esque, but very Germanic and rather dour. Bathroom was old fashioned, functional, marble, but needed replacing. I asked to see another room, this time more traditional , but equally faded and Germanic.

I never bothered with breakfast as I woke up rather late each morning, and I never do breakfast when at home. Cocktails in the bar were excellent, very well mixed, and a good selection of classic as well as "house" drinks were on the menu. Service was efficient and effective.

The health club was very cramped with tiny changing rooms, but quite a decent sized pool. However, it all felt very clinical. Sauna was mixed only which I felt rather wrong for a five star property. The sight of these fat naked men and women sitting together was hard to stomach.

Overall, I wasn't that impressed with this property, it's hyped as the place to stay. Its location was a little (10 minute walk) out of the way for the Neur Wall shopping area which I suppose is akin to Mayfair. The lobby was carpeted which I find most strange in my experience, marble always looks so much more polished. Furniture reminded me of that found in old age homes - very functional and comfortable, but oh so ugly! Log fire was a nice touch. The bottom line is that it was reasonable for a property with history and a pool.

Incidentally I happened to look in on the Raffles managed property. It is smaller, without a pool, but looks slightly more polished.


ATTRTACTIONS

The modern art museum was very cheap to get into, works by all the big names, and even an installation by Ms. Emin. Worth seeing.

The church with the tallest tower whose name escapes me... offered spectacular views over the city.

It is, as others have pointed out to me, a small city that one can easily walk around on foot. The docks offer boat tours (all in German) which are worth passing an hour on.

The lakes offer a combination of grand architecture in the form of embassies/residences on their shores. I spent a couple of hours walking around the entire perimeter of both the inner and out lakes, very relaxing and a nice way of observing local life. It is a long walk, of around six miles (a guess).


SHOPS

Neur Wall is the equivalent of Bond St. and the surrounding roads house other upmarket boutiques, and a little further away is a road full of high street names and department stores. Prices were similar to London. Jil Sander store was disappointing, the one in London has a larger range of pieces from her collections. I bought very little this holiday.


RESTAURANTS

I dined at several places, yet returned to this place three times in four days: Al Campanile - it's a two minute walk from the hotel, and serves fabulously classic Italian food in an intimate setting. It reminds me of Italian restaurants that one used to find in London decades ago. It's very reasonably priced, nothing modern, just simple, good quality food.


Hamburg is a very elegant city, and it comfirms my belief that continental Europe is far more sophisticated than the UK.


I will probably find many things to add to this, but this is it for the meantime.
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Old Jan 1st, 2005, 06:28 AM
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Thanks for the report, MK. I've never been to Hamburg but it sounds lovely. I look forward to hearing more about this trip after you recover last night's party. Welcome back, and Happy New Year.
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Old Jan 1st, 2005, 06:41 AM
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Happy New Year m_kingdom~
Thank you for the report, very interesting.
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Old Jan 1st, 2005, 06:57 AM
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Happy New Year m_kingdom. Welcome back. Looking forward to the rest of your report.
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Old Jan 1st, 2005, 09:17 AM
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I wondered what you would think of the Atlantic. I agree about those massive hallways with the high ceilings.

The place certainly is convenient for the rail station and I also agree that it has been hyped by some as "the" place to stay but I'm not sure I would stay there again if I re-visit the city.
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Old Jan 1st, 2005, 09:27 AM
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mk2, it sounds as though you had a lovely holiday. Did you travel alone?
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Old Jan 1st, 2005, 10:25 AM
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Welcome home m_kingdom2.

Was the weather cold or moderate?

And hope you recover quickly from your NY Eve celebration. Happy New Year
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Old Jan 1st, 2005, 12:17 PM
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m_kingdom2,

apart from that mixed experience with the Atlantic, I sure hope you were still able to enjoy your time in town.

I really believe you might have liked it better than during this season, which is a bit too grey for my taste. The Alster lakes, of course, offer much more inspiration on better weather.

Your comments about the Atlantic came a bit as a surprise to me. Living in the city, I have never stayed there personally, but it has always been very popular with visitors I had from the U.S until some years ago. But then, management changed about 3 years ago and I was already under the impression that the new director might not be that capable of his job, as it appears that he is trying to establish this grand old hotel with a bit of a nouveau riche clientele.

BTW, I should think that the church you are talking about would have been St. Michael's.

I would also be interested to hear about other dining experiences - I dined out for a couple of nights recently, so perhaps we even ran into each other without noticing!

Best wishes to London
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Old Jan 1st, 2005, 12:34 PM
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mk2,
Thanks for posting. Hamburg trip reports are a rarity here (just one in 2004 - Ziana's).
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Old Jan 1st, 2005, 01:13 PM
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Peeling wallpaper?
Obsolete bathroom?
Faded and Germanic?
Cramped health club?
In a 5-star hotel?

Makes one wonder what they're doing with the rental fees.

Anyway...welcome home and Happy New Year.
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Old Jan 1st, 2005, 02:30 PM
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Believe me, Robespierre, that isn't the only "problem" with the Atlantic. Some of the rooms aren't air conditioned and some are. The one I stayed in in August one year had the nosiest air conditioning system imaginable and it wasn't very adequate for the heat and humidity, either.

The Concierge services, on the other hand, were nothing short of fantastic.

I think one secret of staying at that place is not to let oneself be intimidated by any of the staff and remind oneself that if it weren't for your money they wouldn't be in business and believe me, they know that.
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Old Jan 2nd, 2005, 02:03 AM
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I found the service to be pretty good on the whole.

As for weather, the hotel has a thermometer on the outside column which ranged from 40 to 26, one evening there was light snow which settled. However, I'm used to a little cold and a large selection of heavy coats and jackets kept me more than sufficiently warm.

The church with the tower was indeed St Michael's.

I will be finding more to add soon, so I'll keep you posted!
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Old Jan 4th, 2005, 10:28 AM
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So what exactly does "Germanic" decor mean?
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Old Jan 5th, 2005, 06:30 AM
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What I think of as German decor is an understated style mainly classical in style - e.g. Corinthian columns, and a certain English tone to the room as Germans think this to be refined (which it can be). However, it's just a little clumsy and unimaginative. It's certainly not hideous, just a little safe and old fashioned, and rather bland upon first impressions.

That said, the hotel's Chinese restaurant offered really excellent cuisine and service, prices weren't too steep either.
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Old Jan 5th, 2005, 07:08 AM
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I noted the statement about embassies along the lake shore. Perhaps MK or someone could tell me which countries put their embassies 450 km from the former capital of Bonn or 290 km from the current capital of Berlin? And why?

Seems like long commutes to the chanceries?
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Old Jan 5th, 2005, 07:27 AM
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Thanks for your report m-kingdom2, it was fun to read and digest!

After reading about Hamburg, I almost want to change my plans and travel to Germany instead. Have you ever traveled to Maastricht in the Netherlands? If so, do you recommend staying the night or just visiting for the day?
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Old Jan 5th, 2005, 08:19 AM
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They are only what I can presume to be embassies - A large building with an US flag with armed guards patrolling outside. Perhaps it's something financial, it never bothered me at that time, but now I am a little curious.

I haven't been to either of those places, but now I've got the taste for exploring lesser-known European cities, so far Antwerp and Hamburg have been most rewarding, and of course there are never the hoardes of tourists one finds in awful places like Barcelona!
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Old Jan 5th, 2005, 09:25 AM
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A little research says it is likely the US consulate that you are describing. Two large merchant houses from the late 19th century, headquarters of the Hamburg Nazi Party from 1933 to 1945, confiscated by the British at the end of the war, sold to the Americans in 1950, who joined the two houses with a White House-like classical portico.
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Old Jan 5th, 2005, 01:09 PM
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ron,

the embassies described in this thread are in fact Consulates General.
It is said that Hamburg is outnumbered only by New York regarding the amount of Consulates General.
This city has a long tradition of being Germany's trading post with the world (one of the city slogans is "Gateway to the world") and has generated considerable wealth from trade. Trade depends on dependable relationships with other countries, which causes such a vast number of countries to establish their Consulates in Hamburg.
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Old Jan 31st, 2005, 03:49 PM
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Thanks for your report. I returned yesterday from Hamburg, which I added onto a business trip to Frankfurt. I also found Hamburg very interesting, but did very different things than you.

Hotel -- I stayed at the Raffles hotel (can't spell the German name), and it was excellent. I also walked over to the Atlantic, and it didn't seem as vibrant as Raffles, which had a great lobby for tea and cocktails.

Sights -- I visited Carl Hagenbeck's zoo (one of the first zoos, with lots of innovative exhibits), and walked the Reeperbahn at night (the red light district). I even surreptisiously took photos on the street that's only open to >18 men and where I'm sure no photos are permitted. I also visited the clubs that the Beatles played, and had a few beers at a bar where they spent time.

Restaurants -- when in Rome...so I didn't have Italian food, but had two great meals at two different fish restaurants in the fish market.

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